The Fifth Annual Bill “Mr. Wildcat” Keightley Award will be presented to Erin Baxter from Pleasure Ridge Park School during the Kentucky Lions Eye Foundation’s 2022 Mr. and Miss Kentucky Basketball Awards Ceremony on March 20th at the Lexington Griffin Gate Marriott Resort.

Nominations were submitted from across the state for this prestigious award which honors a Kentucky high school senior basketball team manager, who exemplifies the essence of “team player”. Someone who supports their team with passion, dedication and enthusiasm while also performing well off the court, in the classroom and in the community.

Erin Baxter, a senior at Pleasure Ridge Park High School said, “I have learned how to work and get things done on time and efficiently as well as how to make friends and meet new people over the years of being the Boys Basketball Manager. I have been able to use my time management skills to earn a 3.94 GPA, while being a member of many clubs and activities. I am looking forward to taking the skills I learned from managing the basketball team with me to college as I play Volleyball and complete an Athletic Training Program. I also developed a passion for PRP Basketball and sports.”

As well as managing all four years, she’s also been on the Honor Roll each year of her high school career. Erin has played Volleyball and fast pitch Softball and is very active in several student groups and activities at PRP including: Beta Club, National Honors Society and Yearbook. She has also volunteered in Greenwood Elementary’s ‘Everyone Reads’ Program and has volunteered during Vacation Bibble School at Beechland Baptist

Church. She has been accepted into Spalding University and plans to be accepted into the Master of Science in Athletic Training Program upon completing the appropriate prerequisites.

William “Mr. Wildcat” Bill Keightley played basketball at Kavanaugh High School in Lawrenceburg, KY where he graduated in 1944. He then attended Eastern Kentucky University until he entered the U.S. Marine Corps to serve his county in World War II.

Mr. Keightley served as the Equipment Manager for the University of Kentucky men’s basketball team from 1962 until his death in 2008. He served under coaches Adolph Rupp, Joe B. Hall, Eddie Sutton, Rick Pitino, Tubby Smith, and Billy Gillespie. Keightley was part of three NCAA Championship teams and 12 South Eastern Conference Championship teams in his 46 years of tenure.

All sports fans are welcome to attend or view the 2022 Mr. and Miss Kentucky Basketball Awards Ceremony. To learn more about the event visit http://www.mrandmisskybasketball.com. For questions please email JenniferHunt@kylionseye.org or call 270-999-4887.

The 11th annual Mr. and Miss Kentucky Basketball Award Ceremony serves as a fundraiser for the Kentucky Lions Eye Foundation, who has announced Mr. Kentucky Basketball since 1954 and Miss Kentucky Basketball since 1976. To learn more about KLEF’s mission and our programs and services please visit http://www.kylionseye.org.

The Ninth Annual Wallace “Wah Wah” Jones Award will be presented to Chase Alderman from Rowan County High School during the Kentucky Lions Eye Foundation’s 2022 Mr. and Miss Kentucky Basketball Awards Ceremony on March 20th at the Lexington Griffin Gate Marriott Resort.

Nominees were submitted from across the state to the Jones family for this prestigious award for senior multi-sport athletes who excel equally in their classroom and contribute greatly to their community.” All of the nominees were very deserving and this decision gets more difficult to make each year,” said Wallace “Wah” Jones, Jr.

Chase Alderman, a senior at Rowan County High School, has played baseball, basketball, football and soccer during his high school career, while maintaining a 4.26 GPA. Alderman’s athletic abilities were noticed early, as he lettered in varsity swimming as a 4th grader, and scored points for his team at the Regional swim meet. Chase enjoyed competing with his older brother Ty on the swim team, who went on to swim at Transylvania University. This school year Chase was named Mr. Rowan County, a prestigious award which is voted on by teachers and school staff.

For the Vikings on the basketball court this season Chase has been averaging 18 points, 12 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.5 blocks per game. He is also a member of the 1,000 point club at Rowan County.  When asked what is was like coaching Chase, his basketball coach, Shawn Thacker commented, “It is truly amazing and speaks volume of his sports IQ for how many sports he is involved in. He picks everything up the first time I tell him. He is one of the best leaders I’ve had the pleasure of coaching. His teammates don’t play hard out of fear or pressure, they play hard because they don’t want to let Chase down. He is a young many that is as or more enjoyable being around away from the court as he is on the court.”

Chase came in to relief pitch as a freshmen in the semis of the regional tournament and has worked hard to become ranked 2nd and 3rd as a right handed pitcher by two different scouting services in the state of Kentucky for the class of 2022. After receiving several Division 1 baseball scholarship offers, Alderman chose to play at Eastern Kentucky University starting the 2022-2023 season.
Alderman played soccer throughout his high school career and during the fall 2021 season he made 24 goals and had 12 assists. His soccer coach Max Hammonds commented that, “Chase is an incredible young man, the great thing about having a player like Chase, is not only is he willing to play any position that we need him to play that night, but he is also the best at that spot. When your best player is also your hardest working player it makes a coaches’ job much easier.”

His senior season, Chase played football for Rowan County and his coach Kelly Ford said, “My only wish was that Chase would have decided to come out to football as a freshmen, I can’t imagine where he would be as a Senior with 4 years under his belt. Chase is a player the young kids gravitate towards, he is what every locker room needs.”

Wallace “Wah Wah” Jones, Sr. was a two-sport All-American at the University of Kentucky, playing for legendary coaches Adolph Rupp and Bear Bryant, winning two national championships and an NIT.  Jones is the only player at the University of Kentucky to have his jerseys retired in both sports.  In addition to basketball and football, Jones was a pitcher with the Wildcats and a member of the UK track and field team.  He won a gold medal in the 1948 Summer Olympics with Rupp’s “Fabulous Five” and the Phillip 66ers.  After college Jones went on to play in the National Basketball Association with the Indianapolis Olympians. During his tremendous athletic career Jones was the image of sportsmanship and is respected throughout the world.

All sports fans are welcome to attend or view the 2022 Mr. and Miss Kentucky Basketball Awards Ceremony. To learn more about the event visit www.mrandmisskybasketball.com.  For questions please email JenniferHunt@kylionseye.org or call 270-999-4887.

The 11th annual Mr. and Miss Kentucky Basketball Award Ceremony serves as a fundraiser for the Kentucky Lions Eye Foundation, who has announced Mr. Kentucky Basketball since 1954 and Miss Kentucky Basketball since 1976.  To learn more about KLEF’s mission and our programs and services please visit www.kylionseye.org.

The Eighth Annual Donna L.J. Murphy Award will be presented to Jaya McClure of Christian Academy of Louisville during the Kentucky Lions Eye Foundation’s 2022 Mr. and Miss Kentucky Basketball Awards Ceremony, being held in person on March 20th at the Lexington Griffin Gate Marriott Resort.

Nominations were submitted from across the state for this prestigious award which honors a standout female senior basketball player who exemplifies the meaning of being a great student athlete. “Each year I am blown away by the credentials and accomplishments of the ladies who are nominated and the decision is always very difficult. This year all of the nominees were very admirable but Jaya’s essay really resonated with me and demonstrates that she is a stand out person on and off the court and she definitely deserves to be recognized,” said Donna Murphy.

Jaya McClure, a senior at Christian Academy of Louisville enrolled in the school of Biomedical Science, has played varsity basketball for six years, is a part of the 2,000+ point club at CAL and holds a 3.9 GPA. Jaya’s high school career to this point consists of 2,169 total points, 433 assists, 649 rebounds, 296 steals and she averages 16 points per game. Jaya is actively involved in many roles in her extracurricular activities including initiating the Student Diversity Leadership Council at CAL as a freshman and continuing to serve on the committee throughout her time at CAL. She also participated in a Global Missions Health Conference as a freshman, is an athletic intern as a senior and was selected to the Louisville Girls Leadership Program in 2019/20.

Jaya has received several awards/recognitions during her basketball career along with receiving nine D-1 collegiate offers. She is a 2022 McDonald’s All-American Games Nominee, she has lead CAL to three 2A – State Championship Titles (2019, 2020, 2022), she has been named to the Kentucky 2A All-Tournament Team in 2019, 2020 and 2022 and was the Kentucky 2A MVP in 2022. She has participated in many national basketball camps and has committed to serving the youth in her community by volunteering as a middle school trainer, teaching fundamentals and skills that she has learned at these camps to middle school girls. She has committed to play for Ohio University in the 2022-2023 basketball season and has been accepted into the Russ College of Engineering & Technology.

When asked what basketball has taught her over the years and how she would apply it to her life in the future, Jaya’s response was: “I love the game. I love the poetic flow, I love the feeling it brings; but most importantly, I love the way it’s shaped my life. I’ve given my all to this game; in return, it’s blessed me in so many ways. This game has transformed my perception of life in a way deeper way than words could ever explain. This game has taught me that I’m a leader, who can get anything done with the right mindset. I want to instill confidence into young kids, whether that’s in basketball or life. I will be a voice for our future.”

 

Donna L.J. Murphy played basketball at Newport High School from 1972-76 and went on to become an All-American. During her senior year she was named Kentucky’s first Miss Basketball in 1976, averaging 35 points and 20 rebounds. She was awarded the Ted Sanford Award for being named the MVP of the 1975 Kentucky state tournament after she scored 67 points and grabbed 50 rebounds in two games.

More than a great high school basketball player, Murphy was also the State AA high jump champion in 1974 and named All-region in volleyball before graduating fifth in her class. As a highly recruited student-athlete, she chose to attend Morehead State University and graduated magna cum laude twice, with a BA in Communications/ Journalism with Teacher Certification, and a MHE in Counseling.

Murphy remains a highly decorated high school and college student-athlete and a member of eleven Hall of Fames, including the Kentucky Basketball Hall of Fame. Murphy was also the first female student-athlete to have her jersey retired at Morehead State University and Newport High School. She was the first forward drafted in the Women’s Professional Basketball League in 1980 and went on to play for the St. Louis Streak. After her playing career she transitioned to coaching. She has held coaching positions at the collegiate level and also coached Pro-Am, high school, middle school, AAU and Exposure basketball. Murphy is currently a Professor and Counselor at Bluegrass Community and Technical College and oversees the Diversity Outreach Services and Intramural Sports. In her free time she is a basketball skills trainer.

All sports fans are welcome to attend or view the 2022 Mr. and Miss Kentucky Basketball Awards Ceremony. To learn more about the event visit http://www.mrandmisskybasketball.com. For questions please email JenniferHunt@kylionseye.org or call 270-999-4887.

The 11th annual Mr. and Miss Kentucky Basketball Award Ceremony serves as a fundraiser for the Kentucky Lions Eye Foundation, who has announced Mr. Kentucky Basketball since 1954 and Miss Kentucky Basketball since 1976. To learn more about KLEF’s mission and our programs and services please visit http://www.kylionseye.org.